Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in South Africa on Monday for talks with one of its most important allies on a continent that is divided over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and related Western attempts to isolate it.

He was to meet South Africa's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, in a trip some opposition parties and the small Ukrainian community have condemned as insensitive.

A ministry spokesman said Lavrov had arrived in South Africa on Monday morning. He and Pandor are expected to hold a joint news conference around 10.00AM.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government regards South Africa as neutral in the conflict and has expressed a desire to mediate.
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